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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hallowed Circle is Magically Delicious, May 19, 2010
This review is from: Hallowed Circle (Kindle Edition)
Set just a handful of weeks following the events of Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1), the book that introduces the reader to Robertson's world of witches, waeres, vamps, and fairies, Persephone Alcmedi is back to stir up some magic. The justice-loving, solitary witch and earnest granddaughter of Demeter, guardian of Beverley, and witch-of-Johnny's-dreams hasn't yet fully dealt with nor truly understands the ramifications of a vampire stain forced on her by Menessos and a mythical position of power given to her by her goddess, Hecate. She'd better learn to deal quickly, though, as she's been called to enter the Excimium, a witch-lead competition to determine who will be the next High Priestess of the Cleveland Coven...a position formally held by the notorious and now missing Vivian Duncan - missing because Persephone herself turned her over to the vampire Menessos for the crimes of murder and betrayal. But Persephone sure can't explain that...nor can she bow out of the invitation, though she has no desire to be HPS.
Forced to compete...and forced to do her best or lose respect among the elders when her calling as Lustrata is disclosed...Persephone is trapped into service, but the competition teaches her more than she thought it would about her own soul and the lengths she will go to do the right thing for the right reasons. As if her daily trials aren't enough - raising the recently orphaned Beverley, taking care of her aging yet still cantankerous grandmother, yearning for the puppy dog eyes and sexy-as-hell bod of the rocker and waere Johnny, and learning to protect herself and her loved ones from dangers known and unknown - the competition might just end up killing her - and that's if she's lucky. Life as the Lustrata is no one's idea of a picnic but Persephone will do as she's always done - fight the good fight.
Of course, that's also what got her into this mess to begin with...
I liked Vicious Circle quite a bit, but I have to say, I loved Hallowed Circle. With a complex plot that was rich with magic and a much more in-depth, studied exploration of the world in which Persephone inhabits, I was well and truly impressed with the mythos and the attention to minutest detail Robertson created here. There were parts that could've truly dragged for me, because a lot of time is spent on the magic and rituals of witches, and that's not normally something I enjoy reading about, but between the way the book was broken up and Roberston's sublime writing style, it kept my interest high and my fascination fully engaged.
We get a much more comprehensive grasp of Persephone's character, as well, and while I wasn't always fond of her in the first book, I definitely loved the direction her character took here. It's so rewarding seeing a strong leading character with a few quirks, foibles, and flaws truly start to embrace who she is, and Robertson writes that particularly well. It's refreshing to read a character who deals more in black and whites than gray areas, when so very many of the urban fantasies out there nowadays seem to be all about the gray. I found it a nice change that Persephone's life starts to skid out of control whenever she's thrust into an issue she tries to keep to the grays, and only truly triumphs when she deals with the world in very black and white ways.
Ironically, that comment is a complete contradiction to some I've made in other reviews, when I felt a character needed to understand living life in between the black and white to truly gain any level of maturity (and needed maturity to be tolerated), but Persephone is definitely a different breed of heroine...one that necessitates a definitive and clear passion for doing the right things for the right reasons to weigh the just and unjust. While a character that noble could possibly become a little too white-knight-ish to sustain any level of complexity, Persephone's own very human insecurities, doubts, and passions keep her from tripping into holier-than-thou territory.
Also back are Demeter, Persephone's grandmother, and Beverley, her ward, and of course the mysterious waerewolf Johnny, who's got a few secrets of his own left to reveal. Not to be forgotten, of course, the vampire Menessos is still up to his manipulative tricks, though more subtly and with a bit less explanation than in the previous novel. Most of these secondary characters we met in Vicious Circle continue to be fleshed out into very pleasing, three dimensional characters, even though more of the focus of Hallowed Circle is about Persephone's growth and personal challenges than the previous novel. A few of the more ancillary characters don't have such a large roll here, though, and while I missed them, there are others who were introduced that I quite enjoyed spending time with.
I was thrilled to see a much broader tapestry of conflict and danger and characterization included in Hallowed Circle; it was a very well-rounded and thorough novel. I think it is a much stronger installment and a much better read than Vicious Circle, but I would suggest anyone new to the series start there, because while things are explained perfectly well in Hallowed Circle to let new readers know what went before, Vicious Circle is still a good book and the experience of meeting all the characters who play a part in Persephone's life is truly priceless. It helps to appreciate the nuances and subtleties of what goes on in Hallowed Circle.
I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on Fatal Circle, the next book in the series, due out at the end of June. In it I hope we see more from Menessos and get the same sort of widened view of vampire life like we did to a small degree with the waere's here. I think the triangle of power and dedication and need between Persephone, Johnny, and Menessos has been a fascinating evolution and I can't wait to read more.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 stars: Not as strong as the first book, but still liked the characters, January 29, 2010
Hallowed Circle picks up shortly after the first book ( Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1)) lets off. Persephone, a witch, is settling into a routine with her grandmother and young Beverly, a girl she has recently fostered, living with her. Beverly is healing from the death of her mother, Persephone's friend. Johnny, a werewolf guitarist, is still pursuing Persephone romantically, and also says he is fated to support her in her new role as the "Lustrata". Persephone is also concerned over the vampire mark she received from Menessos.
With everything else on her plate, Persephone is surprised and dismayed when she receives a call letting her know that she's been nominated for the High Priestess position vacated by Vivian. She tries to get out of competing in the Eximium, but ends up agreeing to participate for the good of the coven.
Meanwhile, Persephone receives a warning from a fey that other fey who consider themselves enemies of Menessos will likely go after her, since Menessos has shown his interest in her. Persephone is worried not only for herself, but also for Beverly and her Grandmother. And Persephone takes the next step to move forward in a relationship with Johnny, but is dealing with relationship conflicts. Also, her grandmother is helping her research old texts to learn more about the Lustrata position.
The Eximium consists of interviews and a set of challenges meant to weed through the High Priestess candidates. In the midst of the challenges, witches are turning up dead and the police are called in. Once the murders are solved and challenges are completed (no, I'm not going to give spoilers!), the High Priestess is announced at a ball. The Fey attack during that ball and Persephone is forced to fight. Her new role as Lustrata is announced, and she has supporters as well as enemies.
This book reminds me a lot in style to the Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance. I like the main characters and supporting cast, but the storyline dragged for me at times. The last part of the book picked up. I would have liked less of Persephone's mental ramblings and more action. Also her reticience over the relationship with Johnny dragged on too long. And I would have liked the Lustrata position to be explained better. I liked the first book a bit better than this one, but it was still a pretty good read. I found myself scanning the slow parts. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
If you are on the hunt for more books like this, check out my list of paranormal romance and urban fantasy favorites...
http://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-action-romance-must-reads/lm/R214ESW3HL12HM/ref=tag_lag_rb_munk_lmfull
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Improvement from book 1, April 26, 2010
Hallowed Circle picks up just weeks after Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1). The summary pretty much tells you what this book is about, so I'll get down to the good and bad of it all.
I picked up Hallowed Circle and thought I'd just read a chapter or two while my kid napped. I didn't expect to be sucked into the book, but I couldn't put it down! I ended up reading it all at once and doing nothing else that day. That was totally unexpected since I wasn't too impressed when I read Vicious Circle. The first book was an enjoyable enough story, but I had a hard time really immersing myself into the world of Persephone Alcmedi. The story didn't have many twists and turns and the characters weren't fully-developed 3-dimensional characters to me, but they weren't completely flat stereotypical either. Also, I personally have issues with a main character being a witch. I'm always a bit leary about witches and magic because a lot of authors will use "magic" to suddenly resolve any issue and break any rules for magic that they've set up (if any--a lot of time their worlds have no bounds for what magic can do) and their magic users always have the upper-hand. Several authors almost always leave things so vague and open that it's like anything goes. Then, whatever problems they encounter they just waive their magic wands and everything is sunshine and roses in the end. With Vicious Circle, there appeared to be some boundaries.....so I was interested in continuing the story.
The author really redeems herself with Hallowed Circle. The "Magical Boundaries" are better explained. We see Seph fixing some problems with a fight rather than magic, and we see that a lot of problems (like life) just have to be solved the good ol' fashioned way. Seph is going through a lot and I got the feeling that Seph is just feeling lost in her new role as caretaker, foster-mother, girlfriend, national journalist, and Lustrata. But she can't use magic to make any of these things go away or "better." She has to live--and she finally starts to live. Also, the characters were better fleshed out and developed, even new characters that we were introduced to seemed real and fully developed.
The book's jacket makes it seem like the Eximium is the entire book, but it's just a portion. (I really enjoyed the outcome of the competition.) The purpose of the competition is for Seph to "reveal much....to yourself." This is just what Seph needs to learn about herself and her goals and to grow a backbone. I got the feeling when we first met her that she would bend over backwards for anyone, but herself. I didn't want her to be selfish, but she had so much typical "woman" and "mom" in her that it didn't seem like she ever did anything for herself. I liked that about her because it made her so real and relatable. She finally went through something that made her understand who she is and how she needs to take care of herself as well as others. That's a lesson so many woman have to learn.
I did think it was odd how she interacted with her "totem animal" in this book. It seemed so different than in book 1. It felt like in book 1, he really lead her to her own conclusions, own decisions, and guided her in her quest to better understand herself. In book 2, it seemed like he was just giving her all the answers straight, not really making her work through things on her own.
Now, I'm really looking forward to Fatal Circle (Circle, Book 3) which comes out in June. I'm anxious to see Seph's next move. She gone from invisible girl doing everything for others to responsible woman with a backbone and a purpose.
Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1)
Hallowed Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 2)
Fatal Circle (Circle, Book 3)
Arcane Circle
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